Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Mended Hearts ((Revised)) ❯ The Examination ( Chapter 4 )

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish I did, but I don't.

 

Summary:AU Naruto hides many secrets from Konohagakure no Sato. As time continues, Naruto's precious people learn the hard way that many secrets are best left untouched, and that Naruto is not at all what they believed.

 

New Summary: AU Beginning and ending with his name, Naruto's past is veiled in mystery. Even as Kakashi teaches him the meaning of affection and love, Naruto's secrets come into the open, and it falls to Naruto's precious people to protect and support him as his father's name and legacy threatens to crush him and destroy the Hidden Village of the Leaf.

 

7/14/2008: Greetings! This is SanadaSayuri, once again! As many of you many have previously noticed, the older version of Mended Hearts has been taken down. While I'm waiting for inspiration to strike from my muses, I decided to fix up Mended Hearts! Well, then. Here is the new and improved Chapter 4! I will be updating this story once a week, so please look forward to it.

 

A/N: Ok, I apologize for the long wait. Please enjoy the newly revamped chapter four!

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Chapter 4: Examination~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

The warm water beat down on a lithe and well muscled body as red rivulets ran from sun kissed golden hair and down well muscled arms as the blood from the latest kill was washed away. He hissed softly as the texture of the soapy towel came in contact with the wounds in his arm and chest. Swiftly, he scrubbed away the exertions of the night, rinsed off the soap, turned off the water, and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist and he looked into the mist covered mirror. He wrote his name in the misty mirror…

 

Zeiguwa…

 

How would he survive being Zeiguwa for one year without fail?

 

If he showed even a fraction of the mercy he showed his opponents here in Konoha, the Iwa-nin would not hesitate to call him weak, which would besmirch Konoha's honor and prestige. In Konoha, he could be warm and kind and none would begrudge him a moment's respite. In Iwa, however… In Iwa, he would have to be cold and cruel. He would not be able to rest as easily in Iwa as he did in Konoha.

 

With one swift motion, he wiped away the mist, erasing the words.

 

Dull blue eyes stared at him from the mirror.

 

“I can do this,” he murmured, “I've done it before, I can do it now.”

 

And he knew without a doubt that it was true.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“Jiraya's information leads us to believe that Orochimaru may attempt to infiltrate the chunin exams again. Guard Uchiha Sasuke.”

 

Zeiguwa nodded. “Hai, Hokage-sama.”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“He's late!” Sakura crossed her arms and fumed. “That Naruto…”

 

“Shannaro!!!!” Inner Sakura screamed, “I'll kill him if he doesn't show up!!!!”

 

Sasuke… Well… He was Sasuke…

 

“OHAYO, SAKURA-CHYAAAAAAN!!!!”

 

“NARUTO!!!! WHY ARE YOU LATE!!!???”

 

Naruto gave Sakura a sheepish smile. “I overslept.”

 

Smack!

 

“BAKA!!!”

 

“Itai!”

 

“Hnn… Dobe.”

 

“Sasuke… Teme…”

 

Smack!

 

“Don't call Sasuke-kun that!!!”

 

“Itai!!! You're killing brain cells, Sakura-chan!”

 

“Why do you care? You never use your brain anyway!”

 

“Demo… Sakura-chyaaaannnn!”

 

“Hmph. Let's just go. We have an exam to pass…”

 

“Speaking of which…” Sakura glanced at Naruto and murmured, “You got rid of the orange!”

 

“I thought I would make an effort to stay hidden if we end up in the Forest of Death again.”

 

“Oh really?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Naruto sat silently in the examination room, seemingly unaffected by the furious scratching of pencil on paper and the terrified aura being given off. The tension in the air was so thick that is could almost be cut with a knife, but Naruto sat in his little bubble of serenity. Even as his own pencil flew across the paper, his mind wandered through all possible outcomes for his actions during the chunin exams. Despite his preoccupation, he did not miss the amused and prideful glances turned toward him by the proctors. He stifled a chuckle as his enhanced senses picked up a whisper of “He's a lot calmer than the last time around,” and “Jiraiya-sama's instruction did him a world of good.”

 

Naruto shook his head in amusement, a thin smile curling at the edges of his lips as he quickly completed the last question and flipped his paper over and set down his pencil and leaned back in his seat. The blonde couldn't help but release a small amount of killer intent as the tension in the room rose steadily, causing the genin around him to shiver and make even more foolish mistakes. This year, he said nothing and allowed numbers in the room drop. He was in no mood to take part in a preliminary before the third exam this year. A slight smile crossed his lips. It would be fun to see the look on Orochimaru and Sasuke's faces if circumstances allowed them to find out that the so called “Dobe” was actually the youngest of the Hunter-nin and one of the genius shinobi that Konoha was so well known for producing.

 

He looked forward to it.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Ibiki picked up a sheet of paper and turned it over. His eyes widened at the name in the corner. Zeiguwa?! I knew there was going to be a Hunter among the genin this year, but Zeiguwa? Of course, Zeiguwa would be a good choice for this type of mission as he's young enough to blend in among all the genin taking this exam… But why become Uzumaki Naruto? Why not take up the empty spot in Team 10 instead of making the Nara boy, who is already a chunin, take the exam again?”

 

He looked out the window pensively. “If Zeiguwa is impersonating Uzumaki, then where is the real Uzumaki Naruto?”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“We have the earth scroll,” Naruto murmured as Team 7 approached the gates they were departing from.

 

“Thank you for stating the obvious,” Sakura said dryly.

 

“We need the heaven scroll.”

 

“I think we figured that out ourselves,” Sasuke said.

 

“I saw a team from Kiri and a team from Kusa with the heaven scroll.”

 

“So you're saying to collect not only the necessary heaven scroll, but also extras?” Sakura asked.

 

“For all that he was an Oto spy, Kabuto made a good point. We won't find ourselves in a bad situation if we have extras on hand. We'll also cut down on competition. Personally, I don't feel like having to go through a preliminary like last time.”

 

“Hmph. Looks like you're good for something after all, dobe.”

 

“Sasuke… teme!”

 

“The second exam begins Now! BEGIN!!!” Anko yelled.

 

The gates opened, and Team 7 shot into the forest. They were not going to fail. They refused to fail…

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Eight hours into the Exam….

 

Naruto sat with his back against the tree as he took first watch. A series of explosions and screams reached his ears and a grim smile crossed his face. So… It has begun… The second Exam had begun, and the weak were getting picked off…

 

The leaves rustled, and several of his kage bushin walked in, each carrying a separate scroll. Naruto took the scrolls and dispelled the bushin before studying the six scrolls. Four heaven scrolls and two earth… Not bad for a few hours work…

 

He rose and tucked a Heaven scroll into Sakura's pouch and an Earth scroll into Sasuke's equipment pouch. Another set of Heaven and Earth he kept, and he formed a group of kage bushin and sent them out with the remainder of the scrolls to assist the most recent additions to his charges. A wicked grin crossed his face. Wouldn't the others be surprised the next time they put their hands into their pouch…

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Two days into the Exam…

 

Orochimaru glared angrily as the team poofed into smoke. Kage bushin and Henge again. The Snake Sannin roared angrily. It was the ninth time in the past two days!!! Just how many did the Kyuubi no gaki make!?

 

In the meantime, Team 7 was making their merry little way toward the tower…

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

On the fifth day…

 

“Since only five teams passed, we will not be holding preliminaries this year,” The Godaime said. “You have one month to rest and prepare for the third exam. Use that time wisely. But before that, if you would like to forfeit now, you may do so. It will not affect your team since all the matches from this point on are individual.”

 

Naruto sighed. He had done all that he could to get his charges through the second exam. The Rookie nine would have to take care of themselves from this point on. As far as Zeiguwa was concerned, this mission was complete, and Jiraiya and the ANBU could deal with Orochimaru for all he cared. The blonde raised his hand. “I forfeit.”

 

“Naruto!” Sakura yelled, shocked.

 

Behind the Godaime, Kakashi's eyes widened. Why is he giving up?

 

Tsunade's lips twitched as she nodded. “Very well. Uzumaki Naruto. You may go.”

 

Naruto turned and left the Tower wordlessly, the shocked gazes of what was left of the Rookie nine on his back… The blonde's lips curled into a dark smile. How innocent they are… he thought, even after all these years, they still can't seem to comprehend that sometimes what they see is not always the truth. I wish all of you the best of luck. In the meantime, I need to worry about my mission in Iwa.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Naruto lay on the roof of his apartment, staring up at the sky. A plume of smoke behind him alerted him to Kakashi's presence.

 

“Why did you give up? You never give up.”

 

Naruto smiled slightly. “I felt like it.”

 

“That's not a good enough reason.”

 

“It is for me.”

 

“Naruto…”

 

“No. Just… Just go away, Kakashi.”

 

Kakashi studied his student silently. “I'm always here for you if you need me, you know?”

 

“When have you ever been there for me?” Naruto snapped. “You foisted me off onto some other jounin with his own students to take care of while you trained Sasuke, Sasuke who put a Chidori through my chest! You even pay more attention to Sakura than to me! You can call yourself teacher to Sakura and Sasuke, but never, can you be called teacher to me! Half the things I can do, you didn't teach me, rather, most of what I learned as a ninja, I learned from Jiraya! And you actually have the gall to tell me that you're there for me?!”

 

“Naruto…”

 

“No. Enough is enough. Just go away and leave me alone…”

 

Naruto… “I simply thought… I thought that you didn't need me as much as Sasuke did… I'm sorry Naruto…” Kakashi vanished.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

One week later…

 

“Good luck, Zeiguwa.”

 

“Aa.”

 

“We'll see you in one year. Take care of yourself Naruto.”

 

“Aa.”

 

Naruto turned his back on the village and leapt into the trees.

 

It was going to be a long year…

 

He had no regrets…

 

He had none…

 

Only the Kyuubi in its cage knew better. There was one regret buried so deeply that even the boy could not find it…

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

TBC…

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

A/N: Well, there is the new Chapter 4. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review and tell me what you think of it. I look forward to hearing from you all.

 

SanadaSayuri

 

SanadaSayuri

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CSA Version 7 Mended Hearts What Are You Hiding?